South Sudan: Claims of sexual assault against humanitarian workers in a UN camp

• Sexual harassment by aid workers first surfaced in 2015.
• The scope of abuse has since grown.
• Sexual exploitation was practiced “on a daily basis.”

Two years after South Sudan’s civil conflict began, reports of sexual harassment by aid workers at a camp managed by the UN first surfaced in 2015. According to a joint study by The New Humanitarian and Al Jazeera, these reports have not only persisted over the past seven years but have also recently grown.

The UN estimates that up to 5,000 displaced individuals may be coming towards the camp in Malakal soon, and present residents are concerned that this surge may escalate the occurrences of sexual abuse and exploitation.

The disclosures come at a difficult moment (SEA). Despite a task team formed by the UN tasked with addressing the issue, they claim that these acts have mainly gone unnoticed.

Locals are also concerned that the current violence from which these individuals are running will spill over into the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site, where recent skirmishes between the Shilluk and Nuer tribes have already broken out.

The New Humanitarian and Al Jazeera’s investigation found that the scope of abuse has since grown, according to aid workers, camp residents, and victims.

Aid workers who have worked at the PoC site told reporters that reports of abuse started coming in slowly shortly after the camp opened in late 2013. Several UN and NGO documents were also examined by reporters.

Although the relationship was consensual, one woman claimed she became pregnant in 2019 thanks to a local World Food Programme (WFP) employee.

However, most aid organizations, including WFP, forbid sexual relationships with aid recipients due to the extreme power disparities between aid workers and recipients. She informed reporters in December 2021 that she has started her oldest daughter, who is now 15 years old, on birth control because she is so concerned about the ongoing sexual assault.

A teen claimed she was 15 when she was sexually assaulted and impregnated by a local World Vision employee. She claimed that out of fear for her future, she made an attempt to hang herself before opting to leave the camp in an effort to improve her life.

While WFP stated that it could not comment on specific cases, World Vision announced that it was initiating an immediate investigation into the woman’s situation.

The women’s claims are consistent with those of other camp residents, whose testimonies were included in a UN Population Fund (UNFPA) report sent to aid organizations on October 5, 2020. An aid worker who spoke to The New Humanitarian and Al Jazeera but asked to remain anonymous out of concern for retaliation shared these testimonies.

Residents said in the study that sexual exploitation was practiced “on a daily basis,” most often by humanitarian workers. They claimed that UN and NGO employees rented homes in the camp to have sex with women and that UN peacekeepers paid bribes to gain access to women.

Additionally, camp members claimed that a teacher had raped three girls and caused them to become pregnant in 2018. NGOs and UN organizations sponsor some of the schools in the camp.

For at least 18 months following the publication of the report, more reports of abuse persisted.

In a letter dated March 21, 2022, sent to approximately 17 aid organizations working in the camp, as well as a few camp coordination groups, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, deputy head of South Sudan’s UN peacekeeping mission, stated, “I received with greatest alarm information on the increased incidents of sexual abuse and exploitation (SEA) in Malakal Protection of Civilians (POC) site.” The New Humanitarian and Al Jazeera were able to secure a copy of the letter, which was not made public.

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